Too Much Time
by EdenSG
Summary: This story takes place in early to mid season 3 and is team focused - Sheppard, McKay, Ronon and Teyla. It includes Sheppard wump and team angst. It has appearances from Carson, Weir, and Lorne. A mission goes terribly wrong when a team member is injured.


Story Background: The story takes place in early to mid season 3. I have tried to stay true to the characters as they were in this time frame. The story is team focused - Sheppard, McKay, Ronon and Teyla. It includes Sheppard wump and team angst. It also has "appearances" by Major Lorne, Dr. Weir and Dr. Beckett.

Story Description: A mission to a distant planet to gather vital information goes wrong when one of the team members is seriously hurt, and the team must now depend on and trust each other as the options to salvage a mission and save a life are limited.

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or the characters. They are presented only for entertainment purposes and not personal gain.

Rating: PG

**"Too Much Time"**

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard was carefully surveying the dense growth surrounding the small stone structure, or the temple as the local inhabitants called it. Satisfied that for the moment, at least, that all was quiet with no indication of a threat, he turned his attention to the small stone building.

The structure was triangular, open, with several rows of large stone columns encircling the outside, reminding him of a cross between the Parthenon and Stonehenge. The inside was bare except for a large stone table or console as Rodney called it. Through the columns he could catch glimpses of Dr. Rodney McKay inside as he worked on downloading an Ancient data base into his computer. Looking over his left then right shoulder he saw Teyla and Ronon, covering their positions as the three of them formed a defensive perimeter around the temple.

He stopped for a moment to stretch his head first to the left, then to the right, trying to work out the tension that was quickly building up in the back of his neck. They had been on the planet for nearly eight hours now and John could not find much about it he liked. It was uncomfortably hot and very humid. The vegetation was dense and low and while there were a few small trees, or more accurately tall bushes, they really did not provide any shady relief from the unrelenting heat of the sun.

Also, he was not too impressed with the planet's inhabitants. While they were polite, they were not very friendly. In fact, they were down right threatening, which was the reason for the careful vigil from Sheppard and company while McKay worked on the data base. A task that Sheppard had now concluded was taking much too long to finish.

Sheppard sighed silently, hit his ear com in impatience and asked, "Rodney, are you done yet?" Silence was the only answer. "Rodney!" John said sharply, not even trying to hide his annoyance.

"If you would stop interrupting me maybe I could get done," answered Rodney in his usual snarky tone.

"We are under a time restraint here Rodney. How much longer?" demanded Sheppard.

No answer.

"Rodney!" Sheppard's face had now tensed up and his lips bore a tight thin grimace as evidence of his growing impatience with the brilliant scientist.

"As long as it takes!" snapped Rodney.

Sheppard rolled his eyes in frustration. He turned and caught Ronon's eye, and saw Ronon shake his head, as he too had overheard the conversation on the com. With a slight tilt of his head and quick hand gesture Sheppard indicated to Ronon he was going into the temple and Ronon was to take up his area of patrol. Ronon nodded his head to confirm.

Sheppard walked into the stone enclosure and approached Rodney at the data console. It had taken almost an hour to clear off the vines and debris that covered it. Rodney was now hunched over the Ancient device; a mass of wires seemed to run endlessly between his computer and the crystal control panel in the sides of the stone console. Rodney was fully absorbed in his work as he was pressing the lighted buttons, moving around crystal like sticks - all while his eyes were intently studying the computer screen read outs.

Sheppard quietly walked up behind the engrossed scientist, watched him silently for a few seconds then loudly stated, "Well fine Rodney!" A startled Rodney jumped as he spoke; the look of shock on Rodney's face quickly faded to one of exasperation. With a loud groan he bent back over the console and continued his work as Sheppard spoke.

"Sure, take all the time you need," continued the Colonel. "I don't think it will be much longer before Castor and his guards come around and discover us in their 'sacred' temple. And if you recall, they believe it is their duty to the gods, otherwise known as the Ancients, to protect this structure. And what did they say, oh yeah, **they would kill anyone who dared** **to mess with** **it,**" finished Sheppard with a strong emphasis on the last part of the sentence.

"Yeah the part about death I definitely remember," Rodney replied never taking his eyes off the computer screen.

"So how much longer?" demanded Sheppard.

No answer.

"Rodney!"

"I heard you. I am going as fast as I can," Rodney said impatiently. "These controls have been damaged over the years and it has taken some time to improvise connections that would work. Now that I am in the data base it is hard to make any sense out of it - true to form the Ancients never did anything straight forward."

"What do you mean?" asked Sheppard in a clipped tone.

"What I mean is if the information that we need is supposedly here, that searching this data base for that one piece of information is like looking for a needle in a haystack," explained Rodney. "The Ancients destroyed the actual labs where they did their work, leaving only this console with the information they accumulated in it. Research on the Ulgear Virus wasn't the only medical experiment they were conducting out here. Actually some of this other stuff looks really interesting."

"We can come back for the other stuff later. All we need now is the information on the Ulgear Virus," insisted an impatient Sheppard. "The Atlantis data base said that the Ancients had developed a treatment for it at this outpost. Do I need to remind you that M10-899 has developed an outbreak? Over a hundred people have already died and we have twenty people from Atlantis stationed there and three of them have developed symptoms – one of whom is Radek!"

With Rodney's continued silence, Sheppard's voice grew louder and more emphatic. "Beckett says they only have 72 hours before they die. He doesn't have time to research and develop a treatment in that time. He needs the information from this outpost on a treatment before anymore people die or it spreads!"

"Yes, yes. I know" said a preoccupied Rodney. Sheppard turned his head down with a distinct look of annoyance mixed with a bit of disappointment. Having second thoughts, Rodney stopped turned to Sheppard, looked at him and repeated with more earnest, "I know."

Sheppard looked up, met Rodney eye to eye and knew he did understand. Sheppard nodded and simply said, "Just hurry it along. Okay?"

Rodney nodded and resumed his task.

Sheppard turned and walked out of the temple, he stopped, quickly scanned the perimeter, using all his senses to carefully assess the surroundings. All seemed quiet, but the hair on the back of his neck was standing up, and that was never a good sign.

He took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. After he took one more careful look around, he walked over to Teyla.

"Teyla, anything?"

"All seems quiet John," she answered softly, never taking her eyes off the thick underbrush.

"_Yeah, a little too quiet,"_ John muttered under his breath.

"What John?" queried Teyla.

John shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, I just never liked things too quiet." After a moment John asked, "What do you make of these people Teyla?"

After a moment of contemplation Teyla answered carefully, "They are a proud people. They do seem to feel that their sole existence is to protect this temple and guard against humans from entering it."

"But why?" asked John. "We know they are not descended from the Ancients. When Rodney handed Castor the life scanner nothing happened. Could the Ancients really have brought them here to protect this place? For what reason? This was supposedly just a medical research outpost."

"Perhaps," offered Teyla in a slow measured voice, "they were already here when the Ancestors started their medical experiments. If the Ancients were conducting experiments with deadly diseases they could have ordered all humans to stay away so they would not become infected and die. When the Ancestors left the planet, the remaining Humans may have continued following that order, but not just by staying away themselves, but by fulfilling the Ancient warning, or prophecy if you will, that anyone who does trespass will indeed die. After all this time it has become not just something they do, but part of their reason for existence, like a religion."

John considered this theory for a moment. "Makes sense, I guess."

Teyla turned to John, with a look of deadly seriousness on her face as she added, "John, what ever the reason is, their whole society is built around the belief that they are to guard this temple and to keep all humans away. I fear they will go to any lengths to do just that."

"Yeah," said John, "that's what worries me."

John walked back to his original post. He silently signaled Ronon he had returned and resumed his patrol.

*********

Sheppard stopped abruptly; the slight sound of a moving bush caught his attention. He couldn't see anything – or anyone. It could have been a small animal, or a dead branch falling. But John's instincts told him it wasn't. He quickly lifted up his P-90 and tapped on his ear com, "Ronon, Teyla, he whispered, "I think we are about to have company. Oh, and Rodney, time is up."

The words were barely spoken when Castor appeared from the thick, undergrowth. He was accompanied by half a dozen guards. Castor confidently approached and stated, "Colonel Sheppard, you said you and your group were leaving. I believe I made it quite clear to you that this temple is off limits to all humans."

Sheppard immediately noticed that the guards were unarmed, but from the slight movement he could detect in the surrounding bushes he wondered how many others were taking up positions and how well armed _they_ were.

With so many lives at stake Col. Sheppard decided to play it cool, hoping he could get his team out of this situation with little or no confrontation. He lowered his weapon, but never took his finger off the trigger.

With a small grin and the best innocent look he could muster, John replied, "Well, see, I thought after that nice meeting we had we were friends. So I figured it would be alright if we just stopped and had a quick look at your temple."

Castor was not amused. His gaze narrowed dangerously as he replied, "You have violated the temple of our gods. This temple was left in our care to safeguard, to keep all trespassers out. No one who has entered this sacred place may live."

"That's sorta harsh, don't you think?" Sheppard asked lightly, but the hard, tense look in his eyes revealed the seriousness of the situation he knew they were in. He smiled at Castor as he slowly brought his hand up to his ear com. A quick tap and he simply asked, "Rodney?"

Rodney who had been listening to the conversation gave his short clipped reply, "All done."

"You have knowingly broken our most sacred law." Castor's tone was deadly stern.

"My sincerest apologies to you and your people," replied Sheppard quite earnestly. "We meant no disrespect. I promise we will leave quietly now and never return."

"Our laws are without exception," countered Castor. "You are all condemned to die for being here. Please, accompany me and my guards back to the village where your sentence will be carried out."

As Castor spoke Sheppard could see more movement in the bushes. He quickly assessed that at least a dozen more guards had taken up positions; positions that were close enough to put him and his team in easy range of even the most primitive of weapons.

Castor continued with a deadly cool tone, "Death for entering this temple can be cruel and torturous, but if you cooperate I promise you your deaths will be quick and painless."

"How very thoughtful of you," answered Sheppard. "Isn't that thoughtful of him guys?" He cast a quick glance at Teyla and Ronon who had been silently waiting for his signal. Sheppard turned back to Castor and continued, "Very thoughtful indeed, but I am afraid we can't oblige."

With that John and Teyla laid down a barrage of bullets from their P-90's right in front of Castor and his guards. The guards quickly turned and retreated to the underbrush.

Ronon quickly withdrew to the temple, took up a position behind a stone pillar then turned to cover Teyla and John as they ran into the temple. With some quick hand signals, John had them each take up positions on each side of the building just as a shower of arrows and stone pellets from some sort of air compression gun came at them.

"Oh great," exclaimed Rodney, "their throwing sticks and stones!"

"Those sticks and stones may be primitive_, _but they can be just as deadly," shouted Sheppard.

A cacophony of noise, arrows and stone pellets seemed to be assaulting them from every direction.

"Lay down warning fire only, let's see if we can get out of this without hurting anyone," ordered Sheppard over the din.

John cursed silently. This is the one thing he did not want to happen; to be under attack and to have fallen back into the temple. Logistically it was a nightmare for four people to defend as it offered no real cover – no real advantage. For the moment, they were surrounded – and seemingly trapped.

And now, even after a heavy display of fire from their P-90's, there was no sign of Castor's guards lessening their attack.

"Hey, how about that diversion you have planned?" shouted Ronon over the gunfire.

"Getting to it now," yelled Sheppard as he took the small detonator from his pocket.

When they first arrived at the temple the Colonel had taken the precaution of planting C-4 in three locations near the temple – just in case. He now chose to detonate the one furthest to the west of them first, as this was the farthest away from Castor and his guards and the least likely to cause them injury.

John's finger pressed the button and he was rewarded with the sound of a loud explosion, with the accompanying dirt, brush and other debris being thrown into the air. Startled by the explosion the guards froze and stopped their assault, then when the debris came raining down on them they shouted and many turned and ran. Sheppard then detonated the second C-4. The few that remained now also turned and ran toward the village.

With his P-90 held up in front of him, Sheppard slowly stepped out from behind the stone pillar. This was the other thing John really hated about this structure. There was a clearing of about 50 feet that encircled the temple; beyond that the dense brush afforded excellent cover. Once dispersing the enemy, one had no choice but to step out into the open, leaving oneself completely exposed. It bordered on foolish to even try to step out before being 100% sure all combatants were neutralized, but it was imperative they get back to Atlantis as soon as possible. There was no way to avoid it, so he had to take the risk.

John had decided he would go first, making sure it was safe for the rest of his team. He took a few careful steps out in to the open, saw no sign of movement, then motioned Ronon, Teyla and Rodney to follow.

"Their gone," said a hopeful Rodney.

"Don't be so sure," answered Sheppard.

John Sheppard heard it as he felt it. It was the sound of an air compression gun. Though this one was different than the others, it sounded louder, more deadly. John felt the piercing pain in his left side. It felt as if a thousand small needles had penetrated his skin and he could feel each one. The pain was excruciating, encompassing and instantly debilitating.

John immediately fell onto his back. He instinctively put his hand to his wound but the pressure of his hand only intensified the agonizing pain. He gave out a short cry before he caught himself and bore the pain silently.

Upon seeing John go down, Ronan immediately fired his gun at in the direction the shot had come from. His laser pistol took down a branch from a large thorny bush to reveal a small, elevated platform woven with the bush's own branches so that it was completely hidden and undetectable.

A guard, with a small cannon like device, was now clearly visible on this platform. He was obviously trying to reload as an enraged Ronon grabbed the detonator out of Sheppard's pocket and set off the last of the C-4. The blast was close enough to the guard to knock him out of his perch. Ronon could not tell if that man had gotten up and ran away or if he had broken his neck and lay dead – and he didn't really care. He turned his attention to John Sheppard.

He saw that Teyla and Rodney were already at John's side trying to examine the wound.

John was fighting the pain and trying to move, to sit up, only to be felled by the combination of the searing, burning pain from the wound and Teyla's hand as she instructed him to lie still so they could examine the injury.

"My god," said Rodney, "it went right through his TAC vest. I'd like to know what kind of air compression gun shoots stone pellets that can do that!" stated a very impressed sounding Rodney.

Ronon looked at him and sneered, "Obviously a very big one." McKay gave him an annoyed look as Ronon continued, "Now help Teyla and I get his vest off so we can take care of the wound."

Just as Ronon went to grab the vest, Sheppard reached out and grabbed his hand.

"No!" said Sheppard, his voice hoarse and strangled with pain.

"John," said Teyla in a quiet yet stern voice, "we need to examine and treat the wound. There does not appear to be too much bleeding, but we should still apply a pressure dressing."

"No," John spoke but his voice was barely recognizable as he fought to get the words out. "We have no idea how long Castor and his guards will stay away. My guess is not too long. I want you," John stopped for a second to draw a deep breath in as he desperately sought to steady his words and thoughts through the nearly unbearable agony the wound was causing. He swallowed hard and continued, "I want you and Ronon to take McKay back to the jumper and get back to Atlantis ASAP." Another deep breath and he finished, "That's an order!"

"We're not leaving you," Ronon flatly pronounced.

John's reply was slow and deliberate. "I will slow you down. McKay needs to get that medical information back to Atlantis without any delay. Too many lives are at stake." John's next words, "Now go, that's an order" sounded more like a strangled plea than an actual order.

Ronon just stared at him and simply, but emphatically replied, "No."

"Well this is getting us no where," McKay stated bluntly.

John started to say something but then curled back his lower lip and bit it; partly because of a spasm of pain and partly out of his frustration over the situation. He did not like being the injured soldier. He did not like having to depend on his team to care for him, especially if that meant that they were putting themselves in danger.

Teyla knew it was a standoff, so she quickly took control of the situation and gave her own order, "Fine John, you want us to get Doctor McKay back to Atlantis and we will not leave you. So regardless of the fact you may slow us down, you must come with us. Or we can just stay here and argue about it till Castor returns." Teyla cast a stern look at her fellow team mates that suggested dire consequences if anyone dared to disagree with her. Wisely, none of them did.

Teyla continued, "The wound does not appear to be that deep and there is little bleeding. I believe we can get travel a short distance, get to an area that is safer and attend to the wound there."

"Works for me," said Ronon as he reached down to help Sheppard up.

Sheppard shook his head in frustration, partly because he knew he would have to relent and partly because of how he felt. "I don't even know if I can stand much less walk," he reluctantly admitted.

"I'll sling you across my back if I have to" said Ronon as he pulled Sheppard up to a standing position.

As soon as John was upright he felt as if the world was crashing down around him. Simultaneously waves of dizziness, nausea and pain engulfed him. For a few seconds he lost all sense of what was up and what was down. He closed his eyes and leaned heavily on Ronon for support. He took short gasping breaths as he tried to regain his composure and sense of balance. The pain was so intense that all he could see was a bright flashing white light through his closed eyelids. He fought the pain, he fought the dizziness and nausea; he kept telling himself to stay standing, just stay standing….

After a minute the Colonel was able to open his eyes and make sense of his surroundings. He felt capable of standing but was not sure about walking. Ronon sensed this and grabbed the Colonel's right arm and placed it around his own broad shoulders. Then Ronon put his left arm around Sheppard's back to support John's weight under his arm. With that John was able to stand more upright and help support himself.

"We're ready," announced Ronon as he watched John carefully. "Let's go."

After about a mile into their slow journey through the thick, jungle like vegetation they found themselves at the base of a steep ridge.

Ronon was almost completely holding Sheppard upright now as John was losing the struggle to support his own weight and could barely manage to place one foot in front of the other. Suddenly Sheppard missed a step altogether that threw both he and Ronon off balance. Ronon stumbled but did not fall as he kept a firm hold of the Colonel. However, the sudden jerking movement caused such a sharp increase in the already unrelenting pain that Sheppard let out a haggard moan.

"Wait," said Teyla. She walked over to John and asked Ronon to lay him down.

"What's the matter?" asked McKay.

Sheppard's breathing had become more short and raspy as Teyla gingerly examined the wound. "There is much more bleeding now," she announced. In a confused voice she added, "And the wound, it appears to be deeper than it was before."

Ronon had seen enough of his friends die in battle back on Sateda to recognize that Sheppard's condition was deteriorating rapidly. He quickly surveyed their surroundings then grabbed a small set of binoculars out of Sheppard's vest.

"I'll be right back," he announced, then hastily started up the side of the ridge.

"What? Where's he going?" asked McKay as he watched Ronon lightly sprint up the side of the ridge. "Well that's great, looks like he's abandoned us."

Teyla gave him a disapproving look and said, "I believe he is checking to see if Castor or his men are coming. Now, Rodney come and help me."

McKay walked over and got a good look at the wound. For a second he felt queasy. Even with the TAC vest on the wound looked gory. The exposed tissue was red, raw and bloody. Then some crystal like material about the size of rock salt along the edges of the vest where the pellets had entered caught his interest.

He was about to reach for one of the crystals when Teyla drew his attention back, "Rodney, please, I need you help."

Rodney, his attention drawn back to the situation at hand, disregarded the crystals and looked up at her for instructions. "Help me hold his head up," Teyla instructed. Rodney gingerly put his arm around Sheppard's shoulders and head and pulled him gently forward.

"John, John?" Teyla said.

"Teyla?" John's voice was barely audible.

"John it is terribly hot and you are bleeding. You need to drink some water." With that Teyla held the canteen to his dry lips and dripped some water into his mouth. The first sip he choked on and he coughed. It caused such a great spasm of pain that he groaned and pushed the canteen away. He shook his head no to indicate he did not want to try again, but Teyla was firm. "John, you need water. Let us try again."

Again Teyla gently dripped the water into his mouth. This time John was able to slowly swallow the water. The wet coolness felt good against his dry, parched throat and he was able to take more.

A few minutes later Ronon returned.

Ronon stooped down and for a long second looked at John.

With a deeply concerned look he turned to Teyla and said, "I went to the top of this ridge. You can see for a couple miles. The guards from the village are on they way. There are two groups. I couldn't exactly see how many because the thick underbrush kept them hidden, but from the movement of the leaves and bushes I would guess at least a dozen in each group. It doesn't look like they are very good trackers. At the moment they are each heading off in the wrong direction but they will eventually find their way here. We have less than an hour before they get here."

"Well, that's good news," muttered Rodney.

Ignoring Rodney, Ronon looked at Sheppard then Teyla. "How's he doing?"

"Not well. I am not sure if it is safe for him to go on unless we care for his wound first."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," replied Ronon. He then continued, "Just a little way up the ridge I came upon a small cave. It's well hidden by vines and has a very narrow entrance so it is easily defensible from the inside. I think it would be a safe place to hold up for a while."

"What? We go to this cave and just wait? For how long?" demanded McKay.

Ronon looked as if he was going to punch McKay when Teyla calmly stepped in and explained, "It is a safe place for the moment. It will give us time to properly care for the wound, we can then decide how best it would be to proceed."

Ronon did not wait for McKay's response. With the utmost care, he lifted a now semi-conscious Sheppard into his arms and started to the ridge.

Negotiating the narrow path was tricky but thankfully the cave was only about 50 feet up the ridge. And Ronon was right, it was well hidden. Teyla could not make out the entrance to the cave until they were right in front of it and the vines were pulled away.

Teyla and then Rodney entered.

The entry was narrow; in fact only one person could pass through it at a time. Once inside they found the cave was only about 30 feet deep but thankfully it was much cooler than the outside. The ground was firm but smooth and even with the narrow entrance there was enough light that one could comfortably see.

Teyla gave Ronon a satisfied, well done look as he carefully maneuvered his way in with Sheppard. He gently laid Sheppard down and Teyla immediately knelt beside him.

"Teyla, we're not in the jumper?" asked John as he struggled against the pain to maintain a few moments of consciousness.

"No John, we have had to make a short stop. We need to take care of you before we can continue on." She turned to Ronon and said, "Help me get his vest off so I can put a pressure dressing on."

As Teyla began to un-strap the vest Rodney again noticed the crystal like material on the vest. The curious scientist in him made him reach out his hand and pick a few pieces up with the tips of his fingers.

As Teyla and Ronon were removing the vest from Sheppard, Rodney slowly rolled the crystal like particles around in his fingertips. Just as Teyla reached for a pressure bandage to apply to John's wound, Rodney suddenly felt as if there were needles going through his fingers. This was immediately followed by a intense, burning pain that spread quickly from his fingertips down his fingers then to his entire hand.

Rodney cried out in pain, stood up and frantically tried to wipe the crystals off. He found that the pressure from rubbing his fingers against his clothes only made the pain much worse. In desperation he first tried to shake the crystals off, when that was unsuccessful he began trying to flick the crystals off with his other hand, much like one would flick away a pesky mosquito. This seemed to work better as he was getting many of the crystals off and the pain was starting to abate.

Ronon and Teyla had stopped what they were doing and watched in stunned silence. They did not quite know what to make of the situation as at first Rodney seemed to be jumping around, waving his fingers in the air then picking at them with his other hand.

As Rodney started to quiet down, Teyla cautiously asked, "Rodney, what happened? Are you okay?"

"No, No! I don't know. It hurt. It really hurt!!" Rodney half shouted, half cried.

"Rodney what has hurt you?" asked a confused Teyla.

"The crystals from Sheppard's vest," Rodney replied.

"The crystals from his vest?" Teyla still could not fathom what he was talking about.

"Yes. Yes. The crystals, from there," Rodney pointed to the spot around where the pellets had torn a hole in the vest.

Upon close inspection Teyla and Ronon saw the crystals he was referring to.

"What are they?" asked Ronon as Teyla reached out to touch them.

"NO!" shouted Rodney. "Don't touch them. It feels like needles going through you, then there is this sharp burning pain. Very bad pain! Very bad. Trying to wipe them off only made it worse."

The realization of what Rodney had said came to all three of them in the same moment. In quiet unison they turned to look at Sheppard, he was just arching his back as another spasm of intense pain burned through his body. Again he reached up to put his hand on his wound but quickly drew it back and let out a short moan in response to the agony the slight pressure caused. One could see the crystals scattered on his clothes and skin along the edges of the wound.

"Those crystals are in him," stated a shocked Teyla as a feeling of horror and dread engulfed her.

She looked up at Rodney who answered her unspoken question, "The crystals must have been encased in those pellets. Once the pellets entered the body they exploded releasing the crystals. They," Rodney stopped for a moment, looked at his reddened, raw fingertips, then swallowed hard, "They cause an incredible amount of pain and they were starting to burn and eat away at my skin. Just the few I had on my fingers," Rodney stopped to look at Sheppard then continued, "and my skin wasn't even broken, I can't even imagine how…" his voice trailed off as he just stared at Sheppard.

Teyla paled, "I thought the wound looked deeper. The crystals will continue to burn and eat away his tissue until..."

"Then we need to get him to the jumper and back to Atlantis now," interrupted an impatient Ronon.

"No, No." interjected Rodney. "I don't think that is a good idea. The movement will only cause the crystals to eat deeper into his flesh more quickly. Plus the extra body heat that moving him will generate will likely quicken the process also."

"Then we can't move him," stated a solemn Teyla.

"We are not leaving him here," Ronon quickly followed.

"Well what then? We can't just wait here either!" exclaimed Rodney. "Those crystal things aren't going to stop. They will continue to eat away till they hit a major blood vessel or organ. I am sure most of them are too deep and too well embedded in his tissue to remove. Add to that the fact the bleeding is getting worse and we can't put on a pressure dressing because of those damn crystals, I would say the options are severely limited. Of course we could just ask Castor's men for help when they find us. I'm sure they can't wait to help us."

"No!" They turned to see John struggling to sit upright only to be defeated by a more than obvious surge of pain. He fell back and took several gasping breaths.

"John, how long have you been awake?" asked Teyla as she turned to help him lie back down.

John took a few moments to gather his strength before he could talk. "Long enough to hear what's going on." John stopped to take in several short breaths, his face pale and contorted with pain. "I want you all to return to the jumper and get McKay and the data base back to Atlantis. Now!"

"But John… Teyla started.

"I heard McKay. There is nothing you can do; at least getting that data back to Atlantis will save lives. That's the only thing that matters now. Now get out of here, all of you."

"I thought we don't leave people behind?" asked a stubborn Ronon.

"Well in this case you have to. I don't want to die knowing that Radek and all the others died too because that the information to save their lives never made it to Atlantis in time." He looked directly at Teyla, his eyes pleading with hers. "Go," followed by an unspoken plea, _"please!" _

"What, we can't leave you here, c-c-c-can we?" asked an uncertain and visibly stunned Rodney. Though he and John's friendship had gotten off to a rocky start, Rodney does consider John one of his closest friends; a friend that he did not want to lose.

Teyla looked at Rodney then Ronon. The emotions of apprehension and uncertainty shone clearly on her face. Ronon was torn too. He understood the importance of getting that data back to Atlantis, of the many lives that depended on it, but the loyal friend in him told him not to leave Sheppard. Over the past year and half Sheppard had risked his life for his on many occasions. He felt as if Sheppard was his brother. If Sheppard was going to die, he was not leaving him to die alone.

He turned to Teyla, "You and McKay go. I'm staying here."

"No. Ronon, you should go with McKay." Teyla spoke with quiet determination. "You are a better tracker than me and would be more formidable in a fight with multiple guards. We need to be sure McKay gets back to Atlantis safely and as soon as possible. It is what John has ordered. I will stay and care for him."

Ronon looked unsure, but before he could argue with her, Teyla said, "It is the best plan. This cave is well hidden. After you get back to Atlantis you can return with a medical team and some marines. We," she turned and put her hand on Sheppard's shoulder as she continued, "we will both be here when you get back."

"No. It is too dangerous for any of you to remain here. I want you to go back with them too Teyla," said John in a final attempt to give an order that one of them would obey.

Teyla simply gave him a quiet smile and stated, "I am sorry John, but that is not an option."

*****

With the decision made, Ronon and McKay quickly departed to begin the final three mile journey back to the Jumper while Teyla set about to care for John. He now seemed a bit more awake, probably due to the water he had earlier, the coolness of the cave and the lack of movement which had at least slowed the bleeding. She got him to drink some more water, and even take two small bites from a power bar. She took a jacket out of her back pack and placed it under his head for comfort.

"You should have gone back to the Jumper too," John said quietly.

"As I said, that was not option." When John looked up to speak again, Teyla quickly said first, "We were not leaving you behind."

John closed his eyes. At the moment, the agony of the burning pain from the wound was not as great as the pain in his soul. He felt he had let his team down. He felt he was the one who was supposed to protect them, the one who should be risking his life. Not them.

"John", Teyla continued with the slightest bit of trepidation. "I want to try to remove as many of those crystals as I can."

"I believe if I can remove many of the crystals it will ease the pain and," she hesitated for a moment, "slow down the tissue burning process. But it may cause you additional discomfort as I remove them. I will be as gentle as I can."

He gave Teyla a strained smile. "Yeah, I know you will."

Teyla started to go through her backpack for supplies when John interrupted.

"Hey, Teyla," called John.

"Yes John?" She stopped to look at him.

"In case I don't get a chance later, I just wanted to say," he stopped, suddenly unsure how to express his feelings.

"What John?" asked Teyla.

"I wanted to say, thank you." Teyla smiled, she more than anyone understood the Colonel's difficulty expressing his feelings and what he was trying to say.

"As you told me once before John, we are like family, and we take care of each other."

John nodded his head in agreement.

Teyla then prepared to remove the crystals from the wound. She pulled a small brush out of her vest, one that she used for removing dust from Ancient writings. She then broke off two metal long prongs that were part of the buckles on her back pack. After positioning the P-90 so its light shown into the wound, she began by carefully using the brush to gently sweep the surface crystals off his skin. She then used the two thin metal prongs much like chopsticks to reach into the wound to try to pull the visible crystals out of his flesh.

The work was tedious and caused a great deal of discomfort for John. At first he watched, tensing and grimacing every so often as a spike of pain swelled through him. Teyla would stop as John grimaced in pain as she had to fight down her own accompanying feelings of guilt over the agony she knew she was causing him.

Even with how much she knew he must be suffering, Teyla was amazed at the Colonel's self control. For all the horrific pain and discomfort she knew he felt, he never once flinched, he never once made a movement that would disrupt her task. She was not only grateful for that but greatly admired him for it too. She continued, taking the utmost care, painstakingly removing one small crystal at a time while trying to cause him as little additional pain as possible.

After an hour, Teyla could see the procedure, as well as the remaining crystals, were taking its toll. John was growing weaker and was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. She could see the sweat and the pale, gray tinged color on his face as he struggled against the pain. Every second, every breath was obviously agony for him, and she feared he was losing the battle. A sickening feeling of dread grew in her stomach.

*****

The thick, thorny brush and uneven terrain made the journey difficult. It had taken them almost two hours to get back to the jumper. Upon seeing the jumper Rodney suddenly stopped and sat down on a bed of oddly shaped rocks and boulders. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

Ronon looked at him with annoyance, "McKay what are you doing? We're here. We can't stop now."

"Just a minute," said Rodney as he gasped for air.

Ronon had kept them on a swift pace to get here, not allowing any breaks to rest. Realizing what was at stake; Rodney had done well keeping up with him but was now at the point where he physically could not go on without a quick rest, even with the jumper in plain sight.

An impatient Ronon walked over to him and in a threatening voice said, "Move it."

"Fine," said Rodney who could at least breath somewhat normally now. "You know it is not my fault that the nearest clearing Sheppard could land the jumper in was over 4 miles from that temple."

"Yeah, too bad," replied an unsympathetic Ronon. "Let's go."

But just as they turned to go, a whizzing sound filled the air as a shower of arrows came at them from the surrounding bushes.

"Get down!" cried Ronon as he pushed McKay down behind one of the larger boulders while simultaneously pulling out his weapon and firing.

It took McKay a second to realize what was happening. They were trapped behind this boulder. In front of them was the open clearing to the jumper and behind them Castor's men –either way they went was certain death. He reached for his P-90 and began to fire wildly into the bushes.

Judging by the movement in the bushes and the different directions the arrows were coming from, Ronon assessed there were about 10 guards. McKay's firing had spooked 3 of them as they stood up from the boulder they were using for cover, Ronon instantly fired and took them down.

"McKay!" Ronon shouted, "Make a break for the jumper. I'll cover you."

"What about you?" shouted McKay.

"I'll be right behind you." Ronon turned to shift his position then placed his left foot into a small crevice in the boulder to get a better stance to fire his weapon as he covered McKay. He turned to McKay and shouted "GO!"

Ronon fired his weapon in rapid succession along with astonishing accuracy. He hit another two guards and caused the others to duck in panic. "_Not very good soldiers,"_thought Ronon dryly.

Suddenly one of the soldiers got a bit braver and managed to fire a shot at Ronon. The shot was close enough that Ronon had to twist and duck out of its way, and when he did his foot slid into the crevice and his ankle got wedged between the two stones.

"Damn it," muttered Ronon as he struggled to no avail to free his foot.

McKay had quickly turned and ran to the jumper. As he approached he used the remote to open the back hatch. He had not looked back until he was safely inside, then he turned expecting Ronon to run in right behind him. He instantly got annoyed when he saw Ronon was still at the boulder twisting around and firing his weapon.

"Hey, I thought you were going to be right behind me! Quit being Rambo and get in here so we can take off!" shouted McKay.

McKay swore he heard a growl as he saw Ronon twisting, turning and pulling on his leg. If it wasn't such a dire situation McKay would have thought that Ronon was performing some sort of Satedan ritual.

"This is not the time for practicing any dance steps. What the hell are you doing?" yelled a baffled McKay.

Ronon growled again, angry that a simple rock could defeat a seasoned warrior such as himself.

"My foot is stuck in the boulder," he admitted with a measured degree of both reluctance and anger.

"Are you kidding?" asked an incredulous McKay. Ronon fired a few more times at the guards then turned and gave McKay a look that made it quite clear he was not kidding.

Ronon tried a few more times to free his foot but could not.

"McKay," Ronon shouted, "I can't get free. Take the jumper and get back to Atlantis."

"What and leave you too?" asked an unsure McKay.

"It's too dangerous and there's nothing you can do. Just go."

McKay looked longingly at the jumper's pilot seat and then back at Ronon. He realized that it would only be a matter of minutes before the guards figured out that Ronon was vulnerable and take advantage of that fact.

The pros and cons of running back into the middle of a fire fight quickly went through McKay's mind accompanied by a thousand doomsday scenarios. But in the end one thought was the strongest, he was part of a team. With a sigh of acquiescence McKay shouted to Ronon, "Cover me. I'm coming back."

With that, a surprised Ronon saw McKay make a dash for his location.

Ronon was stunned for a second but then quickly turned, and with a fierce and unrelenting voracity fired upon the guards. His actions not only covered McKay as he approached but literally put the fear of the gods into the guards causing them to fall back from their current position.

"What are you doing McKay?" cried Ronon when he reached him.

"What does it look like, I am rescuing you!" shouted an irritated McKay.

"I don't need you to rescue me," argued the proud warrior.

Ronon was definitely not comfortable accepting help from others. Years of being a runner had taught him the only one he could ever truly rely on was himself. But being part of Sheppard's team was now teaching him a very different lesson.

"Yeah I think you do. We need each other," stated McKay as he began to work Ronon's foot from the crevice.

Ronon muttered something under his breath that sounded like another growl. A minute later, with McKay's help, Ronon was able to free his foot. Then together they retreated to the safety of the jumper.

Once safely in the jumper McKay assumed the pilot seat, quickly manipulated the controls, closed the back hatch and then took off as a sea of arrows and pelets bounced harmlessly off the outside of the ship.

Ronon took the seat next to McKay. Rodney looked over at him and tentatively asked, "How's the ankle?"

"Fine," answered Ronon in a clipped tone as he stared straight ahead. A few moments of silence followed then Ronon added. "Thanks by the way."

"Well, it's about time," responded a smug McKay.

Ronon shot him a look that was the epitome of the phrase 'if looks could kill.' McKay wisely chose to remain silent.

McKay guided the jumper through the planet's outer atmosphere then into space.

"You sure you know how to find the Stargate," questioned Ronon.

"Sure I do. It's somewhere in that direction." McKay was pointing aimlessly to deep space.

Ronon gave him a perilous look so he quickly added, "Besides Sheppard left the coordinates pre-programmed into the jumper's navigation system. All I have to do is press a button."

With a satisfied look Ronon closed his eye for a few minutes. It was going to be a one hour journey in the jumper to reach the Stargate since the gate was not located around the planet they were just on but rather orbiting a neighboring planet. _"Damn,"_he thought, this whole mission was taking too much time. It had taken too much time to get there, too much time to get the information downloaded, and now, because of Castor and his guards, too much time to get back to the jumper. And once at Atlantis they would have to retrace the same long journey to get back to Teyla and John. _'Too much time,_' thought Ronon miserably; because the one thing he feared the most was that Sheppard did not have that much time.

*******

It had taken almost another hour but Teyla finally completed her debridement of John's wound. She leaned back for a moment and stretched. Her back, neck and shoulders were incredibly tense and sore from the long tedious work. But she did not have time to be concerned about herself.

She looked at John who was breathing in small short gasps. He was heavily diaphoretic, and his skin color now had a completely ashen grey under cast which greatly concerned her. Even though she had gotten most of the crystals out, she knew there were many more deeply embedded in the tissue that she could not reach. Her ministrations had caused him great pain and additional bleeding, blood that she knew he could not spare to lose. Her mind was torn with guilt, she knew she had to do what she did to give him a chance to stay alive, but she also knew that her actions had weakened him. Now she worried he was going into shock.

John began to stir. Teyla quickly leaned over him and gently spoke, "John, can you hear me?"

John tried to swallow but found his throat was too dry. "I'm here," he replied in a weak, gravelly voice.

Teyla lifted his head up slightly and held the canteen to his lips, "John, you need fluids; you need to drink."

John was only able to take two small sips before he fell back. He was barely conscious at this point and his breathing was now growing slow and shallow. Teyla gently stroked his forehead and with a heavy heart she said, "It is okay John, just keep your eyes closed and sleep. You need to rest."

With the barest of nods, John let his head fall back, closed his eyes and let the darkness envelope him.

Teyla watched as he closed his eyes. When she was sure that John was breathing, only then did she lean back against the side of the cave and close her own eyes; and with a heavy heart listened intently for every one of John's breaths.

*****

"Atlantis! Atlantis! This is Dr. McKay!" shouted Rodney into the com as soon as he had the gate active.

The Stargate shimmered in front of them as the jumper made its final approach.

"Rodney, its Elizabeth. You're clear to come through. What happened? Where's Colonel Sheppard?" Dr. Elizabeth Weir, leader of the Atlantis expedition knew by the sound of Rodney's voice that something had gone terribly wrong with the mission.

"Elizabeth! Am I glad to her your voice! We had to leave Sheppard and Teyla on the planet, Sheppard was shot by Castor, or maybe one of his guards, I don't know I really couldn't see, but then I realized the crystals were burning right through my fingertips, oh my god they are still red, but the crystals are in Sheppard too so Teyla stayed with him and…"

"Rodney! Slow down." She looked at the monitor and saw the jumper was ready to enter the gate. "Rodney, once you are through the gate I will meet you in the jumper bay. You can give me your report then." Weir looked over at Chuck the gate technician and ordered, "Have a company of marines and a medical team report to the jumper bay."

"Yes ma'am." Chuck efficiently acknowledged.

Elizabeth quickly ran up the steps leading to the jumper bay. Once there she waited impatiently for the jumper to enter and then watched it make a rather hard landing on the floor of the bay, emphasizing the fact that its normal, trusted pilot was not in command. Once safely landed she quickly approached the ship.

Elizabeth took in a deep breath of apprehension as the rear hatch of the jumper opened and Rodney came running out with Ronon, who appeared to have a slight limp, close behind him. She strained her neck to see inside the jumper and her heart skipped a beat when she realized Teyla and John were truly not with them. Rodney immediately went into another unintelligible diatribe about what had happened.

Elizabeth held up her hand. "Rodney please calm down. I can't help you if I can't follow what you're saying." She looked to Ronon for help.

Ronon succinctly summed up the situation. "Sheppard's injured and couldn't be moved. Teyla stayed with him. On Sheppard's order I brought Rodney back with the information for Beckett on the Ulgear virus. We need to get back with a medical team and some marines to get Teyla and Sheppard off that planet."

A momentary look of alarm quickly turned to one of determination. Elizabeth nodded. "Understood. Rodney you get to the infirmary with the data and brief Carson. Ronon you come with me. I want you to brief me and Major Lorne in more detail on the situation before I send any of you back."

"We don't have a lot of time," emphasized Ronon.

"I understand that. But I need to comprehend the situation before I send anyone back. It will only take a few minutes, I promise," Elizabeth assured him.

Ronon looked unsure but had learned to respect and trust Dr. Weir. He nodded to signify his agreement to Weir. As he and Weir turned to leave the gateroom Rodney, with computer in hand, took off quickly in the direction of the infirmary.

*******

Rodney paced impatiently while Beckett studied the computer screen with the data Rodney had downloaded from the Ancient medical data base. At the same time he was interrogating Rodney about Sheppard's injury.

Exasperated Rodney finally exclaimed, "Well I am glad you are so fascinated by those damn crystals Carson, but we are wasting time here. Elizabeth just radioed that we have two minutes before the rescue team is leaving and you have done nothing constructive to help except ply me with useless questions."

Carson was not looking at Rodney but was carefully examining the data on the computer screen. "Yes Rodney. Now why don't you just calm down."

"No I will not!" His voice turned more somber. "You don't understand Carson. I took longer than I should have to down load the data. It wasn't my fault; there was just a lot of interesting stuff. Who knows," he added as an afterthought, "maybe even a cure for cancer." His thoughts quickly returned to the predicament at hand. "Carson, what are you doing to help? Why are you just standing there doing nothing?"

Dr. Carson Beckett sighed in familiar frustration. "On the contrary Rodney, I can see the information you have brought back on the Ulgear virus is just what I needed. I believe I will be able to formulate a treatment in time to save Radek and countless other lives."

"Well that's all fine and good but what about Sheppard?" demanded Rodney. "Those crystals are killing him. If he isn't already dead by the time we get back to that planet then moving him to bring him back to Atlantis will definitely kill him."

"I realize that Rodney," said Beckett calmly as he continued to study the screen.

"Well we can't let that happen. Sheppard is …," Rodney paused for a moment, as if he was uncomfortable saying the next words, "Sheppard is like a friend, you know, sort of."

Beckett was still staring at the computer screen when he smiled at Rodney's words. His smile broadened as he read the next spread of data appearing on the screen.

"Well then Rodney, you will be happy to know you may have just saved Colonel Sheppard's life."

"What? I did? Well of course I did! How?" stammered a confused Rodney.

"In that extra data you brought back is a description of those crystals. It seems the Ancients were quite fascinated with them also. They are actually made of a chemical compound that is indigenous to that planet. The Ancients developed a powder that could be spread over the effected area to counteract their deadly effects. It's really a simple formula made of fairly common ingredients; I think I can have a batch mixed up in twenty minutes."

"Are you serious, it's that easy?" asked a surprised Rodney.

"Well I don't know if I would say easy, we still have to get the powder to him. The powder will stop the crystals but it will not repair the damage that has been done and I have no idea how much his overall condition has deteriorated. I will send my best medical team to go back with you to treat him."

"Wait, you're not going?" asked an incredulous Rodney.

"Believe me I want to go. But I have to oversee the making of the vaccine. Don't worry; Dr. Jones is very capable," assured Beckett. "With this powder he should be able to stabilize the Colonel's condition and I will then treat him here when you all return. Now why don't you go find Elizabeth and Ronon and report to them what we have found."

Rodney nodded his head and the quickly left the infirmary to talk to Elizabeth.

************

After informing Elizabeth of Carson's find, she reluctantly decided that the most prudent course of action was to delay the rescue mission until the powder could be made. Ronon disagreed.

"We don't have time to wait; Sheppard's dying and Castor's men are on the verge of finding them. Let me go back first, the marines can follow with the medical team," Ronon demanded.

"I understand how you feel Ronon," Weir said in a firm yet soft voice, "but if the planet is as densely vegetated and the cave is as obscure as you say, the medical team will reach John more quickly if you are with them to guide them. Getting that powder to John provides us the best chance to save him. It will only be a bit longer. Please, be patient."

But Ronon was never patient in situations that he felt required immediate action; especially this situation when he felt time was quickly running out. "Great," he said to Weir in a deep, irritated almost threatening voice, "I just hope we get back to Sheppard before he dies or Castor's men find them both and kill them." He walked away, arms folded across his front and stared at the gate in utter frustration.

******

Noises outside the cave caused Teyla to stir. Though she had fallen asleep, it was a light sleep of a well trained warrior, one who would instantly awaken at even the slightest sound of danger.

It took less than a second for Teyla to fully awaken and gain all her senses. She heard the sounds again; they were voices. She immediately checked her P-90; it was loaded and ready for use. She looked over at John, he was deathly still. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly reached over to check his carotid pulse. She let out a small sigh of relief as she found a steady beat. Then with her P-90 in front of her, she quietly stepped to the entrance of the cave. She now clearly heard the sound of two male voices. One was Castor and the other she assumed to be one of the guards.

"What do you mean they got away," snarled an angry Castor.

The guard answered in a distressed tone. "But sir, it was only two of them. The female and the injured man, the Colonel as they called him, were not with them. They must still be here."

There was silence. Teyla was sorely tempted to push the vines away that were covering the entrance to the cave so she could see what was going on, but she knew that would be a foolish move. She closed her eyes and listened more intently, using the all her senses to pick up as much information as possible.

Castor again spoke, "Sheppard must have been too injured to continue with them. If that is the case then he and the female will be in hiding. Have the guards begin a systematic search between this area and where their ship was. I want no stone unturned."

"Yes sir! Right away!" said the guard, obviously eager to please. She could then hear him running off and shouting orders in the distance. From the faint sounds of additional voices and movement of the brush, Teyla knew there were likely a good number of guards in close proximity, who would soon be thoroughly searching this area. She shook her head, not good news.

Suddenly she heard a noise from inside the cave. She looked over and saw John shaking uncontrollably.

Rushing to his side she saw through his grayish pallor that his cheeks were now flushed.

"Teyla, is that you," John called to her in a coarse, broken voice. He tried to open his eyes but could not find the strength.

"John quiet," she softly whispered. "Castor and his guards are just outside the cave." She touched his forehead and was stunned to feel how hot it was. She realized that besides being in shock he was now also spiking a high fever, most likely the beginnings of a systemic infection.

"Not good." Teyla had meant to say the words silently only to herself, but instead had said them out loud.

"How bad?" asked John in a strained voice. He was now able to open his eyes, but only slightly. He looked straight at Teyla.

Teyla would not lie to him. "I believe you are in a shock, the wound has started to bleed again and you are now running a fever, very likely you are developing an infection. In addition I heard Castor and his guards just outside the cave. They are searching the area for us."

"That doesn't sound too bad." John had tried to sound light and optimistic, but his voice was too haggard to achieve the desired effect.

Teyla just smiled.

John quickly turned more serious. In a broken, strained voice he pleaded with her, "Teyla, you need to get out of here. This cave may be good for a temporary refuge, but it can't be defended in an all out assault. One good blast alone at the entrance could seal you in here for ever."

"I can not go John," Teyla stated matter-of -factly.

"Teyla…," John started to say through gritted teeth.

"No, John, you do not understand. I cannot determine how many of Castor's guards are in the immediate area. I could leave and walk right into dozens of them. This is the safest place for me at the moment."

"Damn it," was John's frustrated response.

"Now quiet John, conserve your strength".

"That's just it Teyla," John struggled both physically and emotionally to say the following words, "I am not sure how much strength I have left."

At that moment Sheppard grimaced in pain then coughed, and Teyla was horrified to see he was now coughing up blood. Sheppard closed his eyes, his chest felt like it was on fire and the pain the coughing had caused felt like hot sharp spikes being driven into his chest. The taste of blood and bile lingered in his mouth and he suddenly felt nauseated. He had no choice but to give into the pain and the exhaustion and drifted back into a state of unconsciousness.

Teyla's face looked grave and somber as she first put her hand on John's shoulder then looked to the cave entrance and said a silent prayer that Ronon and McKay would be back with help soon.

***********

"How much longer?" asked an increasingly impatient McKay

"Five minutes less than the last time you asked," answered Major Lorne as he sat in the pilot seat deftly controlling the jumper's course as it headed back to the planet. To his right sat McKay, with Ronon seated directly behind McKay. A contingent of eight heavily armed marines and two medical personnel sat in the rear, fully prepared for what ever lay ahead.

"And that would be how much longer?" pressed a sarcastic McKay.

Lorne sighed in defeat. "We are approaching the planet now. We should be landing in the clearing in about ten minutes."

"Great, then we have a nice long two hour hike through the hot, miserable jungle to reach them. Or did you forget that part?" asked an aggravated McKay.

"No, I didn't," replied an exasperated Lorne, "But I have studied the topography of the area that Colonel Sheppard downloaded on to the jumper's hud display, there is no place closer to land. There's just too much vegetation. We will just have to make the best time we can getting through to them."

"NO!" Ronon interjected emphatically. When Lorne turned to look at him, Ronon looked Lorne directly in the eye and stated, "They don't have that much time left."

Lorne was about to tell him there was no way he could possibly know that, but something about Ronon's intense, almost fearful look, told him the formidable warrior was right.

Lorne turned back to the pilot console and thought intently for a few seconds.

"I have an idea," he finally said. "Something I could try to get us a little closer, but it is against protocol and kinda risky."

"How risky?" quickly asked McKay.

Ronon shot McKay a look as he said to Lorne, "Just do it."

Lorne nodded in agreement, "One dangerous and against protocol maneuver coming right up."

**********

Teyla stood just inside the entrance of the cave listening to the sound of voices outside as they grew stronger. She could distinctly hear the sounds of three guards searching the area just a few yards from the cave, and they were coming this way. It would only be a matter of minutes before they found the entrance.

She hurried back to John. He was still drifting in and out of consciousness and at present, he was unconscious. Perhaps it is best for the moment considered Teyla. She knew that he did not have the strength to participate in a fire fight, and that any such activity and the movement it would require would cause him great pain, more bleeding and likely drain him of the final strength he so desperately needed to fight his own battle to remain alive.

Instinctively she knelt down in front of John, allowing herself both a good position to shoot who ever emerged from the narrow cave entrance and at the same time to protect him. She readied her P-90 and waited.

A moment later she heard the one guard exclaim, "Come quickly, I found something."

"What?" asked a second voice.

"It's a cave!" the first voice responded excitedly.

"This could be it!" exclaimed the third guard, whom Teyla could discern by the sound of his voice was much younger than the other two. "We will get a great reward for capturing them!"

"First we have to capture them," said the second voice. "Now be quiet and be careful. Follow me."

Teyla could hear the shuffle of their slow approach. She readied her weapon but in the long run knew it would be in vain, that as soon as weapon fire was heard, the other guards would come to investigate, and she could not hold off the entire contingent. But she was a warrior, she would not give up, she would not go down without a fight.

She saw the shadow of the first guard before she saw him. He was just entering the cave, as she fired the first round of shots from her P-90 a loud explosion was heard in the not to far off distance. The repercussions from the blast were strong enough to cause the ground to shake as if being struck by an earthquake. It was powerful enough to knock the guard off his feet and Teyla off balance, causing the shots from her P-90 to fire wildly into the cave's ceiling.

A deluge of dirt and small rocks rained down upon them, caused by the tremor as well as the misfire. Teyla immediately leaned over John to protect him and cover his wound from the falling debris. However the maneuver cost her her advantage in the situation. For now the first guard was up and almost upon her and the second guard had just entered and was quickly approaching.

Teyla lifted her P-90 to fire at the first guard just as the he reached her. He came up quickly and whipped the hilt of his broad bow into her face before she could fire. She went down hard but on her way down she managed to swing her leg, catching his leg and pull him off balance. He fell backwards, right into the second and third guards who had been approaching from behind. All three guards landed on their backs. Teyla quickly got on her feet and saw that her P-90 was knocked out of her reach. She turned and faced the three guards who were also now all upright.

They faced each other silently, each knowing that this would end in life or death for each of them. The first guard sneered, cast a reckless glance at his two comrades then made a leap toward Teyla. Teyla met him head on. In his overconfidence, he didn't see the knife she now held in her hand. As he came upon her she deftly placed the knife neatly between two lower ribs on the left side of his chest, effectively slicing a large hole into his heart. His death was almost immediate.

Before Teyla could recover her position, the other two guards were upon her. The second one grabbed her arm, yanking it roughly behind her causing her to lose her grip on the knife. She spun around and used her legs to kick him in the side of his face. Just as she turned to face the last guard, he delivered a hard right to her jaw. Dazed, Teyla fell to the ground.

Teyla was on her back. The second guard quickly took the advantage and pinned securely to the ground. "Quickly," he said to the third guard, "get your knife out. Kill her now, before she can get loose again."

Teyla struggled to free herself but the guard had too strong of a grip on her. She saw the third guard approach, his face bruised and bloodied from his fight with Teyla. She recognized the look of bloodlust in his eyes and knew her death would be painful.

Just as he reached for her she heard a single shot fired.

The guard who had her in his grip screamed as he saw his comrade go down. He quickly lifted Teyla a few inches off the ground and then slammed her back down, very hard, smashing the back of her head on a rock, causing her to loose her senses.

The guard then turned his attention to John Sheppard, who was now perched on his side, leaning on one arm and aiming a gun directly at him with the other.

"You don't look like you have the strength left to fire that gun again," sneered the guard.

John could barely see through the literally blinding pain he felt and the gun wavered a bit with his rough, uneven breathing. But he fought with all he had to hold on to his composure. He would not let Teyla down.

"Try me," challenged Sheppard, in a voice that sounded quiet but deadly.

The guard sized up the situation and made a decision. With a quick kick of his foot, he kicked up dust and debris from the cave floor into Sheppard's face then lunged at him. For a split second Sheppard was caught off guard, but quickly recovered just inches before the guard was upon him. The guard realized he had made the wrong decision when he heard the sound of John's gun and felt the warm rush of blood spill from his own body. His limp, lifeless body landed on Sheppard who unceremoniously pushed him off.

John struggled to remain upright and looked over to Teyla, who was beginning to arouse. She put a hand to her head and quickly looked around the cave and then at John who still held the gun. She instantly realized what had happened.

"Teyla!" John said in a pained, strangled voice as he fell back to the ground.

She rushed to his side. "I am all right," she assured him.

"Good," said John. The effort to sit up and fire the weapon had used up what little strength he had left; he now closed his eyes since he no longer had the strength to keep them open. "Did we get them all," he asked in a quiet voice that was quickly fading.

Teyla took a deep, heartrending breath in. "Yes John, we got them all. There is no reason to worry; we are safe," her voice wavering just a bit as she lied to him.

John acknowledged her by the barest nod of his head. Teyla reached out and took his hand. John was trying to breath but every breath burned and required more effort than the last. He felt a cold and deep darkness enveloping him. His hand was slipping away from Teyla's hand. He could feel himself drifting toward the quiet, cold darkness.

Teyla sat by John's side, helpless as she watched him drift into what she feared could be a final state of unconsciousness. She bent her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She watched his breathing grow uneven and shallow. He was slipping away. She hung her head down. _"This cannot be happening,"_ she thought. She desperately tried to think of something she hadn't tried, something else she could do, but treating his condition was beyond her ability at the moment.

Suddenly the sound of movement, followed by shouting then gunfire outside the cave startled her. She bolted up, grabbed her P-90 and ran to the cave entrance. Just as she reached the end of the narrow passage she ran right into Ronon.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Are you all right," he frantically asked as he noticed her bruised face and disheveled appearance.

"Yes, but John is…" her voice faded and she looked back into the cave.

Ronon shouted to some men behind him, "Come on, this way! Hurry up!"

With that Ronon pushed past her and ran into the cave's narrow entrance. He was quickly followed by two men, then by McKay. Teyla looked over the side of the ridge and saw a small contingent of Marines competently defending the ridge and the occupants of the cave against Castor's guards.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Teyla quickly reentered the cave. The two men, whom she could see were wearing medical insignias, were just finishing up their assessment of Sheppard's condition.

"He's alive," the one said, "but just barely.

In a quick, well trained symphony, the two worked together to start an intravenous line, place oxygen and attach EKG leads to his chest.

A loud barrage of bullets followed by shouting and more firing suddenly emanated from outside and startled them all.

"Sounds like the guards got reinforcements. I'm going out there to help," announced Ronon and he quickly exited.

Teyla looked at Rodney who looked tired, worried and quite distressed.

"We got back here as quickly as we could," he stammered.

Teyla smiled at him and nodded, "I know you did," she assured him.

They turned their attention back to Sheppard and the two doctors who were working frantically to keep him alive. She saw them sprinkling a powder into the wound which Rodney quickly explained was mixed together by Carson to counteract the effect of the crystals.

They stood there, as if watching a surreal play, listening to the two doctors constantly calling out John's status, giving orders back and forth to each other and administering emergency medications. .

"His blood pressure is dropping!"

"Give another fluid bolus."

"Oxygen saturation is only 84%."

"Turn the oxygen up to 6 liters."

"The powder is working."

"Put on a pressure bandage to stop the bleeding."

"We need to get ahead of the infection."

"Give a loading dose of Vancomycin."

"He's in hypovolemic shock. Pressure is still down."

"Start a dopamine drip. More fluids!"

It seemed like a small eternity to Teyla and Rodney till they heard the words they had been hoping for, "I think we have him stabilized. We can move him to the jumper."

Tentatively Rodney asked, "He'll be all right then?"

The tall doctor stood up and looked at him. "It's too soon to say. All I can say is he is stable enough to move. But it is a long ride back to Atlantis and he is in pretty bad shape."

"The sooner we can get him there the better," added the second doctor.

Teyla frowned and looked disheartened. "We have the two hour hike to the jumper. Can he survive that?" she asked with a certain level of fear in her voice over what the answer might be.

Rodney looked at her and smiled.

"I am happy to inform you that you are wrong. It seems Major Lorne has a bit of a rogue in him and used one of the drones to blast away a small portion of the forest. It quite effectively leveled it making it possible to land less than a quarter of a mile away."

Teyla stared at him in amazement. "That was the explosion I heard."

"Yes and I have a feeling Elizabeth will not be too happy we used a drone in such a manner on a less advanced planet but it was the only option. Now if only Rambo and his marine cohorts would do their job and…"

Ronon entered just in time to hear the last part of McKay's statement.

"And what McKay?" challenged Ronon.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking maybe I should go out and rescue you guys, that's all," he replied smugly.

Ronon stared sternly at McKay and let him squirm just a bit before he gave him a smile.

Teyla said, "Ronon, the doctors say John can be moved. But we must get him back to Atlantis quickly."

Ronon, along with Major Lorne quickly orchestrated the details in getting Sheppard to the jumper. Once in the jumper Major Lorne took the controls and with as much power as he could muster from the jumpers engines he got them back to Atlantis as quickly as possible.

******

Epilogue: Three days later……

John slowly became aware of voices around him He couldn't quite make them out, but they sounded warm and familiar. He tried to open his eyes to see where he was, but his lids seemed so heavy and he felt so weak.

He wasn't sure, but he sensed that he had been here for a while, drifting in and out of consciousness; never quite holding on long enough to make sense of what was going on. He tried again to open his eyes, desperate to put a face to the voices. This time his efforts proved worthwhile as his lids slowly opened, only to be assaulted by what seemed a blinding light. John quickly shut his eyes. He attempted to move, only to be stopped by a sharp pain in his side.

"Colonel? Colonel Sheppard, can you hear me? It's Carson. You are on Atlantis in the infirmary. Colonel, can you hear me?" John tried desperately to make sense of the words but his brain could not comprehend what was being said.

Again he heard muffled voices, then another voice. This voice was soft and soothing.

"John, it's Elizabeth. We need you to wake up. Please, open your eyes John."

John felt the fogginess in his head clear a bit. He was back at Atlantis. Carson and Elizabeth were calling to him. He was alive.

He struggled again and managed to open his eyes. He blinked against the light and could vaguely see two figures standing over him. In a few moments the figures became clearer. It was Carson and Elizabeth.

He heard Elizabeth sigh, "You gave us quite a scare John. You have been unconscious for three days."

"Sorry about that," replied Sheppard in a subdued but even voice.

Elizabeth and Carson glanced at each other and exchanged a look of relief.

Sheppard shifted a bit in bed and started to ask, "Teyla, Zalenka and…"

His voice faded as it betrayed the weakness that still possessed his body.

Elizabeth answered the questions she knew he was asking. "McKay and Ronon got the information back and Carson was able to produce a treatment for the virus. Carson was able to administer it before anyone else died. Radek is fine along with the other Atlantis personnel and natives on the planet. You saved a lot of lives." John nodded his head in understanding and satisfaction.

Elizabeth continued, "Teyla is fine. She deserves a lot of credit for keeping you alive on that planet until Major Lorne could get there. Though I did have to have a discussion with him on the unauthorized use of a drone on planet that is not technologically advanced but," she gently smiled, "in this case I can make an exception."

The sound of people entering the infirmary drew their attention. Ronon, Teyla and McKay approached the bed.

"Well," said McKay as he stood at the end of the bed with his hands clasped behind his back. "It's about time you woke up from this extended nap of yours."

A smiling Ronon joined in, "Yeah, too bad all of us can't lie around all day doing nothing."

"Guess I am just lucky," said Sheppard.

"Well, it was more than luck," said Rodney. "I was the one who saved you," When everyone turned to stare at him Rodney quickly added "Carson even said so!"

"Yes, of course you did Rodney," replied Carson.

"I believe I was there too," interjected Teyla.

"Hey, I got the marines to the cave and we took care of Castor's guards," Ronon added.

With that all three of them began talking at once trying to make their case.

The sound of the 'discussion' grew louder and John closed his eyes. Dr. Beckett noticed this and was immediately concerned. He firmly announced, "I think it would be best if everyone left so Colonel Sheppard can get some rest."

Everyone stopped talking at once and looked at Carson then at John.

John again opened his eyes and looked at his teammates who had become like family to him. He knew he owed his life to each of them, and he was grateful. "Let them stay Carson, their going to need me to referee them."

Carson was about to object when Elizabeth got his attention and nodded in agreement with John. With only a bit of reluctance, Carson relented.

The noisy discussion immediately ensued once again and John closed his eyes. With a smile on his face he listened to the voices of his family and felt safe, he was home.


End file.
